


An Unexpected Encounter

by RoyalNebula



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Adorable Eren, Awkward Eren, College Student Eren, Little bit of Fluff, M/M, Museums, Security Guard Levi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-15
Updated: 2016-06-15
Packaged: 2018-07-14 15:59:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7178681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoyalNebula/pseuds/RoyalNebula
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Levi is a security guard at the local history museum that works the night shift. It's usually a pretty boring job, just wandering the hallways of the museum every night. But one night, something's there that shouldn't be, and it's Levi's job to sort it out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Unexpected Encounter

Levi strolled around the corner, humming as he went. The sound filled the otherwise deathly quiet museum as it echoed off many of the cases and artefacts. Although it was no haunted house, some of the exhibits were quite eerie with the lights out, the shadows making the figures appear quite sinister. When he had begun working at the museum, the security guard had not been able to shake the nerves that had plagued him each night until the sun rose, despite being a realist to the core.

He halted in front of the World War II exhibit, one he hadn't looked at in a while. It was a recent instalment, and the knowledge of this provided him with a sense of control; it was almost as if having been there longer meant that he had more authority and power. Nonetheless, he could not how incredible the exhibit was. Fascinating little details could be found on every plaque and the displays were astonishingly lifelike. It appeared as if you could step through the glass and be transported back through time to the war, which both unnerved and amazed him. 

He eventually made his way to the next set of cases and models - the Ice Age exhibit. This one was much older, having been at the museum for almost twenty years thanks to its popularity. It was much more simplistic, but also a little creepier due to the moonlight shining through the stained glass dome in the ceiling. The light made the floor sparkle like freshly fallen snow, and Levi wondered what it looked like when the rays of sun shone through during the daytime. It must have been spectacular.

He looked up suddenly from the glimmering floor, for he caught sight of something out of place in the edge of his vision. There, underneath the gigantic mammoth statue, way a boy, lying on the floor surrounded by several open books and notepads; most likely a college student.

Hey!" Levi yelled, furious at not having noticed the student earlier. "What do you think you're doing?" 

There was no reply. 

Then, he noticed that the boy was in fact sleeping, soft snores coming from his mouth in tandem with the gentle rise and fall of his chest. Levi's fierce expression softened. He knew how exhausting college was, although he was curious what the young man was studying if he was doing an essay on the Ice Age.

He crouched down next to the boy, careful not to make too much noise as he did so. He did need to wake him as the museum was not open to the public during the night, but he didn't want to scare or startle the boy - he wasn't that cruel. Instead, Levi tapped him on the shoulder and hoped that it would be enough to wake the sleeping teen. No such luck. 

"Hey, wake up," he said, putting a little more force behind his taps. "You're not meant to be here, kid. Wake up."

The boy twisted around slowly, clothes rustling beneath him, and groggily opened his eyes. His brow furrowed in confusion, puzzled by his surroundings. Then, they widened abruptly as he realised where he was and he sat bolt upright.

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry," he blurted out. "I-I was just doing some research and I-I must've fallen asleep." The boy was like a deer caught in the headlights; his eyes were comically wide, his expression was one of terror and he looked so innocent.

Levi smiled at the boy, something which he rarely did.

"It's alright," the security guard reassured, "you're not in any trouble." He shuffled back to give the boy a bit of space in an attempt to make him feel more at ease. "What's your name?"

"Eren," the student replied quickly, still quite nervous. He ran his hand through the dark brown mess that was his hair and then fumbled around trying to gather all of his books and notes together.

"It's honestly okay." Levi put his hand on top of the pile of books. "Here, let me help you with that."

Eren blushed profusely.

"Thank you," he eventually got out, embarrassed at how foolish he had been. Despite knowing that he was tired and worn out, he had continued working and it had resulted in this predicament. That's what he got for not getting enough sleep all that week.

The security guard took some of the books and straightened up, grimacing as some of his bones clicked, particularly as the sound of it seemed abnormally loud. He then held out his hand and Eren took it gratefully so he could get up more quickly. As he did so, Levi noticed how warm the boy was, along with the bright green eyes staring at him that were still shining with regret and doubt. He sighed.

"Don't beat yourself up about it," he warned, "or I'll have to stick around until you stop." Eren wasn't sure whether he was joking or being serious, but he appreciated the sentiment either way.

"O-okay," he said shyly as the blush that stained his cheeks darkened.

"Now, shall I lead you to the exit?" Levi suggested, slightly confused by how nice he was being. Every other time he had caught someone in the museum after hours, he had flown into a rage, whether it was intentional or not having been disregarded. It was possibly because the student, especially as he was all flustered, was quite endearing... No. He banished the thought from his mind immediately. It couldn't be because of that - the notion was just absurd.

"Yes please," Eren replied and nodded, unsure of what else to say. He was baffled that he hadn't been reprimanded by the security guard, but he wasn't going to complain. After all, it wasn't really his fault for falling asleep while trying to do his work. He was just trying to get the project done before the end of the week so he could spend his weekend at home relaxing instead of doing work. 

"Follow me then."

Levi made a 'come hither' motion as he turned around and began walking back through the hallways of the museum, footsteps echoing off the walls. Eren hurried after him, clutching his books tightly to his chest. Although there were signs all around the museum, it was probable that he would get lost if he was alone, so staying with him would probably be the best course of action. 

They walked in comfortable silence, Eren just behind Levi and to the right. As they walked, he marvelled at all of the statues and displays that filled the museum, many of them highlighted by the unusual lighting of the night. He hadn't had a chance to look at them during the day, having rushed straight to the Ice Age exhibit to begin working, but as he was being given the chance, he slowed his pace slightly in order to look at the different objects on display.

After a few minutes of walking, Levi looked behind him to ensure that Eren was keeping up with him. However, the student had in fact stopped about a yard back, and was gazing intently at an Aztec mask that was hung on the wall. It was one of the more stunning Aztec masks, and so he could understand why it had caught Eren's attention, especially with the way the slight bit of light in the room reflected of it, almost making it seem as if it were shining.

"Come on, kid," Levi grumbled, tone both slightly amused and irritated. "I assume you do actually want to get out of the museum."

"Yeah, I do," Eren answered quickly as he ran to catch up to the other. "Sorry, I got distracted."

“Evidently,” Levi muttered. He didn’t stop to wait for him, but instead carried on walking. It wasn’t as if he didn’t enjoy the company of the boy - it was quite the opposite in fact - but he didn’t want to have to worry about him for much longer. If another guard came in and saw Eren, they would most likely be less lenient than Levi had been.

Eventually, Levi halted at one of the side doors of the museum. Although the main doors weren’t alarmed, going through them would have been quite risky as there would have been people out the front, and if anyone saw Eren leaving, there would have been repercussions for both Levi and Eren. 

“Okay, this is it,” he said, gesturing to the inconspicuous wooden door. “Take a left as soon as you get out the door, go down the alleyway and it’ll take you onto the main high street.” The explanation was fairly simple, but Eren listened intently, not wanting to mess up something else.

“Thank you,” he said gratefully, smiling at the security guard. “Oh, by the way, I never asked your name.”

“No, you didn’t.”

Eren chuckled.

“Well, I’m asking now. What’s your name?”

“Levi,” he replied, looking at the student. His name wasn’t something he usually gave to strangers on a regular basis, but there was something different about Eren. He just couldn’t put his finger on it. 

“I like that,” Eren commented. “Thank you for everything, Levi. I hope I see you around sometime. Obviously in different circumstances though.” 

He opened the door and stepped out into the cold, hugging his books a little tighter to his chest in hope that the action would keep him slightly warmer. Luckily it wasn’t raining, but he needed to hurry home, as the ominous clouds above him looked as if they could burst any minute and bring a torrent of rain down upon him. 

The wind from outside blew in through the door a little, making Levi shiver.

“You too,” he murmured, but the words were carried off by the wind and given, useless, to the raging clouds above. 

He shut the door after a few minutes of standing there, looking out into the cold. There was almost a forlorn expression on his face… No. Not forlorn. He refused to believe that the boy had affected him like that. He just missed the company a little. That was all.

After attempting to convince himself of this, he turned around and walked slowly back into the museum, into the dark, foreboding hallways that seemed just that little bit colder than before.


End file.
